Carnival Made up for Unexpected Trip Plans.

I want to first say that we did not get to take the trip we had purchased. If I would have seen where the trip was eventually going, I would not have booked the trip. I wanted to take my father on a trip of a life time to somewhere out of the country, and we ultimately did, however spending 2 thousand bucks to stay on a cruise ship for 4 days in 2 Bahamanian ports is a little expensive. We could have taken a small ferry from Miami for just a few hundred, and stayed at a resort for way cheaper.

We made the most of it, and decided that its still better than work!

The original tickets were purchased through , which was a MISTAKE. Book through the cruise line and save yourself some headache and money. sent me an updated itinerary 2 days after we got back from the vacation. (9 Days late) I still haven't received any information on the returns. 

Carnival decided that they would just change the itinerary to a much shorter trip and then refund 50% of the tickets (not 's fees) and then also reward each persons ship credit with $100. ($300) total for us. They also have decided to give us 50% off the next cruise we book. (Which may actually happen) Many people decided to cancel their cruise, (25-33% official numbers from cruise host) which made it much more comfortable and less crowded during spring break.

The excursions we booked (thankfully through the cruise-line) we all credited to the ship credit. Which allowed us to re-book through the new excursions. Some people booked through 3rd party companies and will have to wait 3-4 weeks for paper check. (For us that was about $900.) Since we didn't go to the original destination, the excursions we spent weeks researching were not exactly what we had planned on (clothes and money). However we were able to find some similar ones in the new destination. We tried to do things that you could only do in those destinations. (SNUBA diving in the famous wreck sites, Cave Tubing through Belize Caves, Travel to foreign civilization ruins.) We obviously couldn't do two of those but we made up for with 2 private tours. (Maybe $60 more per excursion) Our tour guides, which we locals, spent the time and energy to make it well worth our money and time. 2 of our excursions ran over by several hours, and made us feel at home. Not once did I feel that we were being pushed through. 

A cruise is your ultimate vacation cost efficiency. Though you don't have a ton of space in your stateroom, It should really only be there to hold your clothes and sleep in. There is way too much going on stay cooped up in a hotel room. Your average hotel room  Will cost you between $70 - $200 a night, So 7 nights of room alone is at least $490 (About the price one persons stateroom) Then add in all the food you could eat, the free shows, and entertainment. Seriously worth the ticket price.

This was our second cruise, and last one was more than 10 years ago. I can't really recall everything. 

Here's where to save you some money.

DO NOT BUY DRINK PACKAGES. Whether its soda or liquor. They buffets do not have the soda near by, and the waiters seem to take their time bringing drinks back. All of the bars are super swamped, and sodas are very low priority. There is now way we drank enough to make it worth it. One drink (2/3 a can) will cost you 2.77. We did the math and with 3 people paying for the tab. (Which really can't be manipulated easily) Every day costs $6 plus gratuity X 9 days costs about $60 a person. (For us 3 people cost $180) We only drank (actually tally count) 22 drinks = $60.94. (Bottles of water to take ashore cost, and are not cheap once off the boat either) So bring a case or two of soda and water with you on board, and it will really save some money. 

We cant fathom how anyone can get their moneys worth out of the liquor package either. There were a LOT of people who said they would buy 1 package for one person and share it with 2 others in another stateroom. (The cruise line eventually caught on but here's your math. Each Alcoholic drink is about $10, which means that you will need to drink at least 5-6 drinks per person every day to break even. The Cost is $50 in advance plus gratuity. (About $575 per person) I don't drink that much, but my wife, father, and I drank every night freely and only spent about $300 total.

We also saw people's drinking privileges revoked and removed from the ship. (Escorted to the airport via security back home.) Being drunk in public, is still illegal. We also witnessed a woman being escorted back onto the ship after being left in a local bar on a stretcher. They revoked her "party" privileges.

If your going to drink beer, make sure that you buy the 4 pack. It only saves a few bucks but that ends up adding up at the end of the cruise. 

Also like I have mentioned before. Do not buy your excursions online before hand from a 3rd party company. 1. If something happens to your cruise (and happens frequently) destinations, you may not be able to get your money back. 2. The cruise line will not wait for you, unless you book through the cruise line. If you ran over like we did, you will need to pay for a flight and hotel to your next port.

Overall we had an amazing time, and will most likely do it again soon!